Posted by Michael G. Stogner
a resident of another community
on Nov 7, 2012 at 5:21 pm

This shows that there are 33,459 voters in the Sequoia District area that do not support the Grand Jury recommendation of 2000-01. There were 5 board members who didn't either and that is the only reason the Sequoia Healthcare District is here today .

What I overlooked, was the dillution of the incumbents vote with three
"pro district" candidates running for two seats. Kim and Katie's totals would had have averaged 46,938 if Nappy's totals were included. That's more than 50% higher than my tally. That was a serious mistake which led to overconfidence.

Clearly, the union support of Katie and Kim played a major role in the
vote then and now.

And, the impact of the ~$100,000/year PR effort promoting the District and majority directors, culminating in the pre-election mailing of an 11" x 17" 4 page, full color campaign flyer claiming to be a Report to the Community, was a factor. A similar mailing in 2008 also impacted that election.

I am pursuing PRA requests to determine the facts behind these mailings, which, in my opinion, were clearly intended to influence the outcome of the election.

With the current vote count, my tally has improved from 1.54/1 in 2008, to 1.32/1 today. I expect that to improve when all the votes are counted. I am grateful to those who supported my dissolution effort, and invite them to join me in pursuing that goal.

Information obtained from my PRA requests will be considered in
determining the future direction of my efforts.

The numbers are in: From the Daily Journal Reporters' notebook March 08, 2013, 05:00 AM:
"The general election in November for two open seats on the Sequoia Healthcare District cost taxpayers about $198,000, according to an invoice sent to the district by the San Mateo County Election Division. The election was forced by current board member Jack Hickey, who wants to dissolve the district. His counterparts on the board chastised Hickey for taking money out of health care programs the district supports. Katie Kane and Kim Griffin were running unopposed for their seats until Hickey jumped into the race while already serving on the board."

And, I received a refund of $159.74 for my candidate statement overpayment. My total cost was $1511.04. The refund will be used to further my efforts to dissolve the Sequoia Healthcare District.

IMHO, money well spent.

Overcoming the constituency "bought" with Grants of property tax dollars and $100,000/year in PR is a daunting task.
The sheer number of beneficiaries involved establishes a formidable support group which perpetuates the Districts. Recently, 43 out of 62 Sequoia Healthcare District Grant applicants survived review. The Sequoia Healthcare District is a dues-paying member of the Association of California Healthcare Districts (ACHD) which promotes Grassroot organizational activities for political purposes.